Artwistic Creations has your shirts hot off the press

May 9, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Meghann and Fred Nelsen, with their dogs, Cody and Mercy, take a break in their San Clemente screen printing business, Artwistic Creations. The couple estimate they have printed 52,000 T-shirts, caps and pullovers since the shop opened in 2007. DAVID BRO, FOR THE REGISTER

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Meghann Nelsen shows a shirt that Artwistic Creations designed and screen printed at its San Clemente shop. DAVID BRO, FOR THE REGISTER

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Artwistic Creations prints T-shirts, caps, pullovers and jackets and does art design for logos, posters and signs. DAVID BRO, FOR THE REGISTER

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Screen printer Troy Price went to work at Artwistic Creations in San Clemente after the shop's workload became too much to handle for married owners Fred and Meghann Nelsen. DAVID BRO, FOR THE REGISTER

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A screen-printed cap sits as a sample in the back of the shop at Artwistic Creations in San Clemente. The business will do a minimum of 12 hats in an order of one color for about $120. DAVID BRO, FOR THE REGISTER

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Meghann Nelsen, co-owner of Artwistic Creations, puts finishing touches recently on her artwork on a utility box at Avenida de la Estrella and Avenida Palizada in San Clemente. The painting is part of a city street art program. FRED SWEGLES, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Meghann and Fred Nelsen, with their dogs, Cody and Mercy, take a break in their San Clemente screen printing business, Artwistic Creations. The couple estimate they have printed 52,000 T-shirts, caps and pullovers since the shop opened in 2007. DAVID BRO, FOR THE REGISTER

Artwistic Creations

Fred and Meghann Nelsen run Artwistic Creations, a T-shirt printing shop in San Clemente, and like many small-business owners, they know every penny counts. It's even better when their customers know it, too, they say.

"We did a job for a local high school track team and ended up accidentally burning one of the team hoodies with the ink dryer," Fred Nelsen said. "We would have just thrown it out, but the coach saw it and wanted to give it to his slowest runner, so we gave it to him!"

The Nelsens started their screen printing business in their native Apple Valley before moving to San Clemente in 2006. Meghann Nelsen had learned screen printing in high school in a Regional Occupational Program, later setting up a workshop in the couple's garage. Fred learned the trade from her.

They began buying used equipment little by little, upgrading as they went.

Fred, a meat cutter for six years, said his union had lost a lot in negotiations and that another contract was coming up. "I was really concerned we were going to lose again," he said.

So he really took to screen printing and soon was working only on weekends at Gelson's market.

"I was too busy to work at Gelson's and went full time over to screen printing," he said.

The couple decided their hometown had too many T-shirt shops, so they decided to make a move. They considered Santa Barbara, but Fred remembered visiting San Clemente during family camping trips. After Meghann got a surprise job offer in San Clemente, the decision was easy. They have printed more than 50,000 T-shirts, caps and pullovers since 2007. The shop also does screen printing for jackets and art design for logos, posters and signs.

A year ago, the workload became too much for them to complete all their jobs on time, so they hired San Clemente resident Troy Price to work on screen printing. Fred now runs more of the business end and does design work.

Meghann recently was contracted by the city of San Clemente to paint a large utility box at the corner of Avenida Palizada and Avenida de la Estrella as part of a street art program. Her painting is a stylized view of classic big-chrome American cars with the sun setting behind the San Clemente Pier.

"We're going to be remodeling soon, so Meghann is going to have her own art gallery and studio set up in the back," Fred said. "We're always trying to make it better for our customers."

Q&A WITH CO-OWNER FRED NELSEN

Q. What has been the best thing about owning your business?

A. I think being able to answer to the customer instead of someone else, like a manager. If there is anything wrong, I answer the customer and I can solve the issue right then. ... And I think setting your own hours.

Q. What has been the most challenging aspect?

A. Accounting! My wife and I are creative, so we each do a little bit of it. And I think for me it's hard to delegate anything.

Q. What advice do you have for anyone starting a business?

A. If you are honest with yourself, you should be able to know that it will take a 100 percent effort. If you can't do that, it's not going to work.

Q. What trends do you see in the T-shirt printing industry?

A. Definitely bright colors are coming back, and the V-neck T-shirt is getting more popular, but not as popular as it is back East. Trucker hats are going to canvas and getting away from the foam. We print more of anything we do in black; it's always trending.

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